


unhaunted (don't need no halloween)

by fluffier432



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves Friendship, Depression, Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Drug Abuse, Gen, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Needs Help, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, Luther Hargreeves Being an Asshole, Pre-Canon, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Suicide, Underage Drug Use, ben does not become a ghost after he dies, probably younger than how it actually is in canon as to when ben dies, they are very young here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-22 17:41:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22320097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffier432/pseuds/fluffier432
Summary: For once in his life, Klaus wished he’d see a ghost. A ghost with the same black leather jacket, the same combed back hair, the same branded wrist his brother had. Or, Klaus realized with a pang, used to have.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	unhaunted (don't need no halloween)

**“Come** along, Number Four,” Reginald commanded, moments after the funeral had ended. “There’s another hour until dinner. There will be group training.”

Klaus stared at the statue of his brother.  _ Oh, Ben, why’d it have to be you? _ he thought. Immediately he felt bad. Ben was his best friend, but he wouldn’t want any of siblings to die. Not even his jackass of a “big” brother, Luther.

Reginald was tugging him away bodily, tired of Number Four never listening to what he said. “You will join us for training, Number Four. We must not let this be a setback in our studies.”

As Klaus was dragged back into the house to race his siblings up the stairs or whatever else Reginald had in mind, he silently cried for his dead brother, taken only that very day.

*******

**The** others were sad, too, of course they were, how could they not be? But as the weeks went on, and Ben still did not manifest as a ghost, Klaus soon became the only one not functioning as he was before The Mission. Before long, Reginald had cleaned out Ben’s room, the last thing Klaus had as a real connection to his brother.

Klaus did not come out of his own room for three days after he found out. Grace would gently knock on his door, then let herself in, leaving Klaus to wonder why she bothered knocking in the first place. She brought him the meals he missed, pushed the hair out of his eyes, and wiped the tears of his cheeks. She told him his siblings missed him (like he would believe her). She did not mention how angry Reginald was getting at Klaus’s absence, she did not relay the threats and insults the man muttered when the day was just beginning and Klaus was not at breakfast, and she did not talk of the trouble that Klaus knew he was going to be in the minute he stepped outside his door.

And sure enough, he was denied dinner for a week for his “antics”, as his depression was so graciously called.

For once in his life, Klaus wished he’d see a ghost. A ghost with the same black leather jacket, the same combed back hair, the same branded wrist his brother had. Or, Klaus realized with a pang,  _ used to _ have.

He tried talking to Diego. He said he thought Klaus was being dramatic, and he should be able to deal with it himself. Klaus flipped him the middle finger and didn’t pay attention to Diego for the rest of the day.

He tried talking to Vanya. The most empathetic of the group. She got upset when they stepped on ants, for crying out loud, but even she had come to realize that Ben was probably much happier where he was now than he ever was in the Academy. Klaus agreed, but that didn’t make him miss his best friend any less.

He tried talking to Allison. She flat out refused to even speak about Ben.

Klaus didn’t even attempt talking to Luther. He already know what he’d say.  _ Just get over it, he’s not your only brother. _

So he was stuck. Stuck in a loop of feeling completely numb, to wailing into his pillow in the surreal hours of the morning, to just wanting to fall asleep and never wake up.

Maybe if he ever could manage to fall asleep, he could be with Ben forever.

Maybe.

_ I can only hope, _ Klaus thought as his eyes slipped closed, an empty medicine bottle falling from his limp hand,  _ I can only hope these sleeping pills work _ .

Poor Vanya found him the next morning.


End file.
